Arrest Made in Hate Crime Case That Vandalized Fresno Restaurant

Fresno police took into custody on Tuesday evening a suspect whom they believe broke windows by throwing rocks at a restaurant in a suspected hate crime.

Lt. Bill Dooley of the Fresno Police Department said 30-year-old Orlando Javier Ramirez was arrested at 5:03 p.m. for three felonies: vandalism, a hate crime, and criminal threats.

30-year-old Orlando Javier Ramirez was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (Fresno Police Department)

Video surveillance showed a man drive up to Noah’s Ark Restaurant & Bakery and break the glass doors early Tuesday morning. The man left a copy of the Fresno Bee behind with the words “All Jewish Business Will Be Targeted — PFLP” written on it.

PFLP stands for Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist group based in the Gaza Strip. Bagramyan and her family are Armenian with no known Jewish ancestry. She believes they were targeted because of the name Noah’s Ark.

Related Story: Two Suspected Hate Crimes Appear to Target Jewish Community in Fresno

“We are confident that this individual was acting alone and there are no additional threats to our community stemming from these incidents,” said Dooley in a news release. “We are also confident he has no ties to any extremist or militant groups tied to the conflict in the Middle East.”

Noah Ark’s owner Marieta Bagramyan found the doors to her business broken on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (Special to GV Wire)

Vandalism at Fresno’s Temple Beth Israel

Also the same day as the attack at Noah’s Ark, the glass doors at Temple Beth Israel were broken.

Dooley said Ramirez is a person of interest in the felony vandalism at the temple. Rabbi of Temple Beth Israel, Rick Winer, said federal authorities are involved in that investigation along with Fresno Police.

In May, a person had broken the glass doors at Noah’s Ark. Ramirez is a person of interest in that case as well.